{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11843", "2000-12-15", 106, 2, null, null, "RETIREMENT OF SENATOR J. ROBERT KERREY", "SENATE", "SENATE", "RETIREMENT", "S11843", "S11844", "[{\"name\": \"Carl Levin\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Kent Conrad\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"John Warner\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "146 Cong. Rec. S11843", "Congressional Record, Volume 146 Issue 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]\n[Senate]\n[Pages S11843-S11844]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n                 RETIREMENT OF SENATOR J. ROBERT KERREY\n\n  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, when the Senate adjourns Senator Bob Kerrey\nwill be retiring from the Senate.\n  Bob Kerrey served his beloved state of Nebraska as a highly popular\nand successful governor from 1982 to 1987. As governor, he was widely\ncredited for his efforts to balance the budget and for educational and\nwelfare reform. In 1988, he was elected to the Senate. But, Bob Kerrey\nestablished himself as a man of great courage and intellect long\n\n[[Page S11844]]\n\nbefore he was elected governor or entered the U.S. Senate. He was an\nAmerican hero long before he became a Senate hero. Now he's both. Time\nand time again, he earned his reputation as one of the most courageous\nmembers of this body by taking on the toughest issues around--from\nentitlements to health care, and speaking his mind no matter what. He\ntook on sacred cows where others feared to act. He did so with\ntremendous dash and daring, with a wonderful youthfulness and\nenthusiasm. His speeches against amending the First Amendment of our\nConstitution relative to flag burning, for instance, have been speeches\nwhich I have often used as a resource back home to prove that the most\ncourageous among us--those that have put their lives on the line for\nthis country--also believe in its Constitution with great passion and\nbelieve we must not reduce its protections of our freedoms in response\nto the behavior of a few misguided or extreme individuals.\n  As a member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate\nAgriculture Committee, Bob has earned a reputation as a proponent of\ntax reform, Medicare and Social Security reform, and as a tireless\nadvocate for the nations' farmers.\n  The Senate will sorely miss Senator Bob Kerrey's wise and experienced\nvoice on national security matters. And, I will deeply miss his\npresence, although I trust that we will see him often and that his new\nrole at the New School University will not keep him from weighing in on\npublic policy issues that so need his special touch.\n  I have often thought, only half in jest, that Senator Kerrey should\nbe awarded a second Congressional Medal of Honor for his many brave\nstands in the Senate to match the one he won in war. It has truly been\na privilege to serve with Bob Kerrey and I will miss the noble passion\nand purpose he has brought to so many causes.\n  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my good\nfriend Senator Bob Kerrey. I have mixed emotions knowing that the\nUnited States Senate, the State of Nebraska, and the nation are losing\na valued public servant at a time when we can ill afford to lose a\nperson of such great talent. I am saddened thinking about the loss of\nhis valued presence in this chamber. But, I also recognize that my\nfriend is leaving by his own choice to take on the challenges of a new\nadventure as president of the New School University of New York City.\nNew challenges and new accomplishments are about to be added to his\nalready legendary list of achievements that include Medal of Honor\nrecipient, entrepreneur, governor, and Senator.\n  I smile as I think about the good company my colleague has been at\nthe Senate Committee on Agriculture. I always felt as if the hearing\nroom brightened up a notch when Senator Kerrey entered the room. I\nappreciated greatly the fact that we never failed to share a few light\nmoments together, even as we worked to help the farmers and ranchers we\nrepresent. His collegial approach crossed the aisle, too. Senator\nKerrey moved landmark agricultural legislation to passage with hard\nwork and the respect he garnered from his colleagues on both sides of\nthe aisle, as he did this session with the crop insurance reform bill.\n  We also served together on the Senate Finance Committee, where\nSenator Conrad has been an absolute bulldog on the issue of entitlement\nreform. Senator Kerrey headed up the bipartisan entitlement commission\nand served on the Medicare Commission. He was a particularly active\nparticipant in the centrist coalition, which worked to find common\nground on budget issues during the partisan stalemate in 1995 and\n1996--an effort that helped produce the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. On\nthese very difficult issues, Senator Kerrey has always been willing to\nconsider policies that make sense for the long term even when these\npolicies carry a high political price in the short term. He was a\nleader in insisting that the Senate version of the Balanced Budget Act\ncontain long term Medicare reforms as well as short term fixes. Yet\nthroughout these discussions, Senator Kerrey has also been a strong\ndefender of the most vulnerable among us--from children in low income\nfamilies struggling to get by with cash assistance, food stamps and\nMedicaid to rural seniors who depend on adequate Medicare reimbursement\nto maintain health care in their local community.\n  All of us will miss his keen intellect, his insight and his candor.\nWe will miss his terrific sense of humor. We will miss his positive\nattitude. We will miss the unique perspective he brings to every\ndiscussion. We will miss his integrity and his courage. But most of\nall, we will miss the boundless enthusiasm he brings to public service.\nThere is no question the Senate will soon be made poorer by his\ndeparture, and there is no doubt Senator Kerrey will make the\nuniversity community he now joins richer by brining these wonderful\nattributes to his new position.\n  We thank you Senator Kerrey for your service to the United State\nSenate.\n  And I thank you for your friendship.\n  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President. I rise today to pay tribute to Senator\nRobert Kerrey of Nebraska. As Undersecretary, then Secretary of Navy\nfor over five years during the war in Vietnam, I learned first hand the\ncourage and sacrifice of the men and women of the armed forces who\nserved our Nation.\n  Lieutenant, USN, Bob Kerrey earned our nation's highest recognition\nfor his valor and unwavering leadership during that conflict. Those\nsame extraordinary personal attributes Bob Kerrey brought to the\nSenate.\n  Serving with Bob is a reward all Senators will cherish. Though the\nchallenges of education will be his next call to duty, I predict he\nwill someday soon be back in public office. Enjoy this respite, my\nfriend, but harken to the bugle-call in years to come for another\ncareer to strengthen our nation with your ``brand'' of leadership.\n  I shall miss our vigorous floor debates, our trips abroad to visit\nour troops, our moments of levity as two old bachelors.\n  As we sailors say, ``well done sir''!\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2000-12-15-pt1-PgS11843"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 12.130921008065343, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}